U.S. patent application number 12/654400 was filed with the patent office on 2010-07-08 for tea brewing and dispensing system and method.
Invention is credited to Harold F. Miller.
Application Number | 20100173048 12/654400 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 42311872 |
Filed Date | 2010-07-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20100173048 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Miller; Harold F. |
July 8, 2010 |
Tea brewing and dispensing system and method
Abstract
An automatically controllable commercial system for brewing a
consistently high quality cold brewed beverage from a supply of
purified water, optionally sweetening the brewed beverage, and
dispensing the cold brewed beverage is provided. The system of the
present invention includes automatically controllable integrated
components for purifying the water supplied to brew the beverage
and for maintaining the system in a sanitary condition that can be
serviced on site or from a remote location. The present invention
further provides an automated, commercial scale method for brewing
tea from real tea leaves and naturally sweetening the tea to
produce cold sweet tea with the high quality taste of homemade
sweet tea.
Inventors: |
Miller; Harold F.;
(Summerville, SC) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Joan K. Lawrence, Esq.
2161 North Lincoln Sreet
Arlington
VA
22207-3844
US
|
Family ID: |
42311872 |
Appl. No.: |
12/654400 |
Filed: |
December 18, 2009 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
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61203284 |
Dec 19, 2008 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
426/231 ;
422/292; 426/435; 99/280; 99/289R |
Current CPC
Class: |
A61L 2/183 20130101;
A61L 2202/14 20130101; A61L 2/24 20130101; A23F 3/18 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
426/231 ; 99/280;
99/289.R; 426/435; 422/292 |
International
Class: |
A47J 31/18 20060101
A47J031/18; A47J 31/40 20060101 A47J031/40; A47J 31/44 20060101
A47J031/44; A23F 3/16 20060101 A23F003/16; A61L 2/18 20060101
A61L002/18 |
Claims
1. A brewing and dispensing system for controllably and
automatically producing on a commercial scale from fresh tea leaves
a consistent supply of cold tea with a superior quality taste that
may be optionally unsweetened or naturally sweetened at dispensing,
wherein said system comprises: a. purified water supply means for
purifying water from a selected water source; b. tea supply means
for storing and dispensing a selected quantity of fresh tea leaves
of a desired tea variety; c. brewing means fluidically connected to
said purified water supply means and automatically controllable to
brew a predetermined quantity of said desired tea variety; d. tea
conveyor means actuatable to transport said fresh tea leaves from
said tea supply means to said brewing means when a supply of fresh
tea is needed; e. tea receptor means fluidically connected to said
brewing means for receiving and temporarily holding the brewed tea;
f. tea reservoir means fluidically connected to said tea receptor
means and to a source of pressurized gas for moving brewed tea to
said tea reservoir means, wherein said tea reservoir means is
maintained at an optimum temperature for chilling and storing the
brewed tea; g. sweetener system means for receiving, holding, and
dispensing concurrently with the brewed tea a predetermined
quantity of a sweetener solution comprised of naturally occurring
sweeteners to dispense a serving of sweetened chilled tea; h.
chiller means for maintaining said tea reservoir means and said
sweetener system means at an optimum temperature; i. dispenser
means for selectively delivering a desired quantity of unsweetened
cold tea or sweetened cold tea to a container for consumer
purchase; j. fluid connection and actuation means for fluidically
and controllably connecting said purified water supply means, said
brewing means, said tea receptor means, said tea reservoir means,
said sweetener system means, and said dispenser means to move tea,
brew tea with purified water, dispense cold brewed tea, mix and
dispense cold tea and sweetener, and move tea to selected locations
within said brewing, sweetening, and dispensing system; k. system
sanitizing means automatically and controllably actuatable to
clean, disinfect, and maintain said tea brewing, sweetening, and
dispensing system in a sanitary condition; l. actuation and control
means programmable to activate and control activation of said
purified water supply means, said tea supply means, said brewing
means, said tea receptor means, said sweetener system means, said
dispenser means, said fluid connection and actuation means, and
said system sanitizing means to consistently produce cold
unsweetened or sweetened tea with superior taste; and m. cabinet
means configured to mount and hold in functional arrangement said
purified water supply means, said tea supply means, said brewing
means, said tea conveyor means, said tea receptor means, said tea
reservoir means, said sweetener system means, said chiller means,
said fluid connection and actuation means, said system sanitizing
means, and said actuation and control means.
2. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, wherein
said purified water supply means comprises a reverse osmosis type
of water purifying system.
3. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, wherein
the tea conveyor means comprises a movable water permeable
receptacle configured to activatably engage said tea supply means
to dispense a predetermined quantity of loose tea leaves and then
to activatably engage said brewing means after the loose tea leaves
have been dispensed into the receptacle.
4. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, wherein
said tea receptor means includes actuatable valve means
programmable to open or close in response to the position of said
tea conveyor means in fluid contact with said brewing means.
5. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 4, wherein
said tea receptor means further includes selectively actuatable
three way valve means for providing a separate fluid connection
with each of three tea reservoir means, wherein said actuatable
three way valve means may be actuated to direct brewed tea to a
selected tea reservoir means.
6. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, further
including system pressurizing means for moving water, brewed iced
tea, and sweetener through said system.
7. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, wherein
system sanitizing means comprises water ozonation means for
producing a supply of ozonated water and directing said ozonated
water through the system in response to a programmable timed
signal.
8. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, wherein
said cabinet means includes display panel means connected to said
actuation and control means for communicating information relating
to the operation and status of the brewing and dispensing
system.
9. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, wherein
said dispenser means includes a fluid connection with a selected
tea reservoir means and a fluid connection with said sweetener
means, and said dispenser means is programmable and actuatable to
activate one or both of said fluid connections to selectively
dispense either unsweetened tea or sweetened tea.
10. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1,
including movable support means for supporting and controllably
moving said tea conveyor means to each of a series of selected
positions into engagement with said tea supply means to receive
loose tea leaves and said brewing means to provide said tea leaves
for use in brewing, wherein said movable support means is
actuatable to move said tea conveyor means between a receive
position and a dump position, said tea conveyor means being held in
the receive position while in engagement with said tea supply means
and said brewing means and moved to the dump position when said
predetermined quantity of tea has been brewed.
11. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, wherein
said system further includes drain means for directing used tea
leaves, tea, sweetener, and sanitizing fluids out of the
system.
12. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 1, wherein
said tea supply means comprises a plurality of containers for
holding a supply of loose tea leaves and configured at a first
container end to be accessed from the exterior of said cabinet to
replenish the supply of tea leaves and at a second container end to
engage said tea conveyor means and dispense loose tea leaves into
said tea conveyor means.
13. The brewing and dispensing system described in claim 12,
wherein said plurality of containers comprises three separate
containers and each of said containers holds a different variety of
tea.
14. An automatic sanitizing system programmable to disinfect and
sanitize at desired intervals a cold beverage brewing and
dispensing system that includes a multiplicity of fluid-containing
functional components, wherein said sanitizing system is
fluidically connected to each of the components of said brewing and
dispensing system, said sanitizing system comprising a source of a
sanitizing fluid approved for contact with foods, programmable
actuating means actuatable first to stop the operation of the
beverage brewing and dispensing system, then to drain fluids from
said components and direct sanitizing fluid into said components
for a predetermined time period, and then to initiate operation of
the beverage brewing and dispensing system.
15. The automatic sanitizing system described in claim 14, wherein
said sanitizing fluid comprises ozonated water.
16. A method for controllably and automatically producing on a
commercial scale from fresh tea leaves a consistent supply of cold
tea with a superior quality taste that may be optionally
unsweetened or naturally sweetened at dispensing, wherein said
method includes the steps of: a. purifying a supply of water from a
selected water source and directing purified water to a brewing
system; b. dispensing and transporting a selected quantity of fresh
tea leaves of a desired tea variety to the brewing system; c.
programming the brewing system to automatically brew a
predetermined quantity of said desired tea variety using the
purified water; d. directing the brewed tea from the brewing system
to a tea receptor where the brewed tea is held temporarily and then
automatically directed to a selected tea reservoir; e. chilling the
brewed tea in the tea reservoir and maintaining the brewed tea at
an optimum temperature for chilling and storing until it is
dispensed; f. cooling a sweetener solution comprised of naturally
occurring sweeteners and maintaining the sweetener at an optimum
storage temperature; g. in response to a dispense signal,
automatically selectively delivering either a desired quantity of
unsweetened cold brewed tea or a desired quantity of cold brewed
tea and a desired quantity of sweetener solution to a dispensing
location; h. at a predetermined periodic time interval,
automatically stopping the operation of the brewing and dispensing
system and actuating sanitization of the brewing and dispensing
system, wherein the system is first drained in response to a stop
signal and a sanitizing fluid is directed through the brewing and
dispensing system to clean, disinfect, and maintain the tea brewing
and dispensing system in a sanitary condition; i. upon completion
of sanitization of the system, initiating operation of the tea
brewing and dispensing system to continue to produce and dispense
cold unsweetened or sweetened tea with a superior taste.
17. The method described in claim 16, wherein the steps of the tea
brewing and dispensing system are automatically actuated and
controlled, and the operation of the system can be controlled on
site or at a remote location.
Description
[0001] The present invention claims priority from U.S. Provisional
Patent Application Ser. No. 61/203,284, filed Dec. 19, 2008, the
disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present invention relates generally to automatic
commercial brewing and dispensing systems for brewed beverages and
specifically to an improved commercial brewing and dispensing
system and method that automatically and safely produces a
consistently reliable supply of high quality tea brewed from tea
leaves and naturally sweetened to produce a sweet tea beverage with
a superior taste.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0003] Tea is a beverage that has become increasingly popular with
consumers in recent years. It is viewed by many as a healthier
beverage choice than a soft drink. After water, tea is the most
popular beverage in the world. An estimated 85% of the tea imported
into the United States in served over ice. Consequently, fast food
outlets and other kinds of restaurants have increased their tea
offerings to keep up with consumer demand. Iced tea and sweetened
iced tea, especially in the South, are often requested instead of
the ubiquitous carbonated sodas. Producing, on a commercial scale
from real tea leaves, a high quality iced tea and sweetened iced
tea that consistently tastes like it was brewed at home, but can be
dispensed like soft drinks, presents challenges. Currently
available commercial systems and methods for supplying iced tea
have not produced a consistently high quality iced or sweetened
iced tea beverage.
[0004] The prior art describes many variations on the brewing and
dispensing of tea, iced and hot, as well as sweetened and
unsweetened. U.S. Pat. No. 7,067,168 to Podlucky et al, for
example, describes an automated tea brewing system that can produce
sweetened or unsweetened tea. This system produces a tea
concentrate that can then be sweetened with a liquid sweetener and
diluted to generate very large quantities of tea for bottling. U.S.
Pat. No. 6,981,441 to Dussinger and U.S. Pat. No. 6,988,641 to
Jones et al both describe iced tea brewing systems that use a tea
concentrate. Dussinger brews the concentrate and adds chilled
water, while the Jones et al tea product is a post mix designed to
have the appearance of fresh brewed tea. None of these systems
produces a tea product that has the taste of fresh brewed tea,
however.
[0005] The maintenance of a commercial brewed beverage system in a
sanitary condition that avoids the growth of microorganisms is an
additional challenge, especially when the brewed beverage system
provides for the addition of sweetener to the beverage. Preventing
the growth of potentially harmful microorganisms in the components
of a commercial beverage brewing system is critical. Goerndt, in
U.S. Pat. No. 5,733,591, describes a method for automatically
sweetening tea that employs a timed control circuit to produce a
sweetened or unsweetened tea beverage. A viscous corn sweetener is
added to hot tea to form a concentrate that is then diluted.
Although Goerndt also describes purging the system lines as tea
canisters are prepared, this is appears to be done with tea or
water, which is does not guarantee thorough sanitization of this
system. In U.S. Pat. No. 6,915,926, Naik discloses automatically
cleaning a cold beverage dispensing system using hot water. While
this method may clean the premix powder and water system described
by Naik, it is of limited value in disinfecting tea brewing system
components that use fresh tea leaves or liquid sweetener.
Cirigliano et al additionally recognize the need for sanitizing a
tea brewing system to eliminate or substantially reduce microbial
growth in U.S. Pat. No. 6,120,825. Their sanitization method also
employs hot water, however. The use of ozone to disinfect and
sanitize a tea brewing and dispensing system that uses fresh tea
leaves or a liquid sweetener does not appear to have been
contemplated by the prior art.
[0006] An additional challenge encountered in the production of an
iced tea or sweetened iced tea beverage on a commercial scale that
tastes good may arise from the quality of the available water
supply. The chlorine and chloramines used in the treatment of most
local water supplies, for example, can adversely affect the taste
of brewed beverages and may give tea a bad taste. In U.S. Pat. No.
5,192,571, Levy recognizes this challenge, and addresses it by
adding anhydrous thiosulfates to tea and other beverages. This may
eliminate the taste of chlorine or chloramine, but may also
adversely affect the taste of the brewed tea.
[0007] Control systems for automatic beverage brewing systems are
described in the art. U.S. Pat. No. 6,095,031 to Warne, U.S. Pat.
No. 6,571,685 to Lassota, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,076,966 to Lassota et
al, for example, all describe such control systems. The Warne
system focuses on a control system based on temperature detection
parameters, the Lassota et al system discloses switches that
interact with a manual control system, and Lassota employs a
specific microprocessor to drain the disclosed system so that the
tea can be contacted with atmospheric oxygen during the brewing
cycle.
[0008] The prior art, therefore, fails to provide an automatically
controllable system for brewing and dispensing cold unsweetened tea
or sweetened tea characterized by a consistently high quality
superior taste on a commercial scale with the advantages of the
present invention.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0009] It is a primary object of the present invention to overcome
the disadvantages of the prior art and to provide an improved
commercial cold or iced beverage brewing and dispensing system
useful in a range of different types of restaurants that
automatically and consistently produces a cold or iced beverage
with a superior taste.
[0010] It is another object of the present invention to produce an
improved commercial brewing and dispensing system that
automatically brews tea from tea leaves and adds a natural
sweetener to produce sweet tea with a superior taste.
[0011] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a
fully automated commercial tea brewing and dispensing system and
method that consistently produces a naturally sweetened cold tea
with a taste that approximates the taste of home brewed sweet
tea.
[0012] It is yet another object of the present invention to provide
a fully automated commercial cold beverage brewing and dispensing
system including an integrated component for purifying the water
used to prepare the brewed beverage.
[0013] It is yet a further object of the present invention to
provide a fully automated commercial cold beverage brewing and
dispensing system including an integrated component for
automatically sanitizing the brewing, sweetening, and dispensing
components of the system.
[0014] It is a still further object of the present invention to
provide an automatically controllable commercial cold beverage
brewing and dispensing system that can be monitored and adjusted
from a remote location.
[0015] In accordance with the aforesaid objects, an automatically
controllable commercial system for brewing a consistently high
quality cold brewed beverage from a supply of purified water,
optionally sweetening the brewed beverage, and dispensing the cold
brewed beverage is provided. The system of the present invention
includes automatically controllable integrated components for
purifying the water supplied to brew the beverage and for
maintaining the system in a sanitary condition that can be serviced
on site or from a remote location. The present invention further
provides an automated, commercial scale method for brewing tea from
real tea leaves and naturally sweetening the tea to produce cold
sweet tea with the high quality taste of homemade sweet tea.
[0016] Further objects and advantages will be apparent from the
following description, drawings, and claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0017] FIG. 1 is a front perspective diagrammatic view of the cold
beverage brewing and dispensing system of the present
invention;
[0018] FIG. 2 is a front diagrammatic view of a preferred
arrangement of the components of the cold beverage brewing and
dispensing system of the present invention;
[0019] FIG. 3 is a back diagrammatic view of a preferred
arrangement of the components of the cold beverage brewing and
dispensing system of the present invention; and
[0020] FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing operation of the components
of the cold beverage brewing and dispensing system of the present
invention.
DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0021] Iced tea, particularly sweetened iced tea, has become more
popular in recent years and is increasingly requested by patrons in
a wide range of restaurants in place of carbonated soft drinks. The
vast majority of fast food outlets and many other restaurants have
met customer demands with tea products required to be purchased
with the carbonated soft drinks offered by their beverage supplier.
These tea products are typically produced as a concentrate from
ground tea or tea sweepings, are flavored and sweetened with
artificial flavorings and sweeteners, and are packaged to be
dispensed with the carbonated beverages. Such tea beverages often
have an "off" taste and, as a result, generate little repeat
business. Some restaurants do brew their own tea, and the quality
varies widely from batch to batch. Brewed tea has a short storage
life and can deteriorate rapidly, which affects the quality of the
taste. Many iced tea drinkers prefer presweetened iced tea, which
presents additional challenges to restaurants that brew tea and add
sweetener. At ambient temperatures, moreover, undesirable microbial
growth that affects the taste of the tea can occur.
[0022] The present invention is an improvement of the iced tea
brewing and dispensing systems shown and described in Applicant's
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,919,041 and 5,116,632, the disclosures of which
are hereby incorporated herein by reference. The system and method
shown and described in the aforementioned patents produces a very
high quality presweetened iced tea product that meets restaurant
quantity requirements, but its effective operation has proved to be
quite labor intensive. This is a disadvantage when trained workers
are hard to find.
[0023] The cold brewed beverage brewing, sweetening, and dispensing
system of the present invention overcomes the problems described
above and provides an automatically controllable commercial scale
system for brewing tea from fresh tea leaves and purified water,
sweetening the tea, dispensing cooled sweetened tea with a high
quality superior taste, and maintaining the system in a condition
that produces consistently high quality, superior taste tea. The
control system of the present invention is designed to be monitored
and actuated for optimum maintenance and service on site as well as
from remote service locations.
[0024] Referring to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a front
perspective diagrammatic view of a preferred embodiment of the tea
brewing and dispensing system of the present invention. The present
tea brewing and dispensing system has been designed to have a
compact, space-saving configuration so that it will fit through a
standard 30 inch door. The system components are mounted in a
cabinet 10 that is preferably formed of a stainless steel material
suitable for food service applications. The cabinet 10 is designed
to allow access to the interior when necessary for service or
maintenance, yet limit access to designated persons. A series of
access doors that can be outfitted with programmable locks or other
like devices are provided. Access doors 12,14 on the front of the
cabinet 10 allow the components in the interior front of the
cabinet to be reached. Movable access panels 16, 18, shown in FIG.
3, are designed to provide access to components in the back of the
cabinet, and access doors 20, 22, and 24 on the upper surface of
the cabinet allow filling of tea leaf reservoirs 26, 28, and 30. An
exterior LCD type display panel 32 may be provided on one of the
access doors 12, 14 or mounted in another convenient location on
the exterior of the cabinet to provide information relating to the
operation of the system, including, but not limited to the quantity
of liquids in the various reservoirs, the phase of the operating
cycle, and other system parameters. The cabinet 10 can be adapted
to be mounted on casters (not shown) for portability or legs (34)
in a permanent installation.
[0025] FIGS. 2 and 3 together illustrate diagrammatically the main
components of the present tea brewing and dispensing system. Tea
leaf reservoirs 26, 28, and 30 are mounted within the cabinet 10
under their respective access doors 20, 22, and 24. Stainless steel
beverage cans in a 3 gallon size may be conveniently modified to
form the tea leaf reservoirs 26, 28, and 30. One modification is
the inclusion of a signal actuated door or the like (not shown),
preferably in the base of each tea leaf reservoir, that can be
programmed to release a predetermined amount of loose tea leaves
into an infuser brew basket 36 when the brew basket is positioned
beneath a tea leaf reservoir as will be described below. The
infuser brew basket 36 is designed to be mounted on a track 38 so
that the basket is movable into any one of five different positions
and invertable to dispose of used tea leaves. Basket 36 is shown in
its inverted position in the drawings. In positions one, two, and
three, the basket 36 is aligned with one of the tea leaf reservoirs
to receive a quantity of fresh tea leaves. In position 4, the
basket 36 is aligned with an automatic tea brewing apparatus 40.
The positioning and alignment of the basket 36 under the tea
brewing apparatus includes a switch or like activator (not shown)
programmed to activate the tea brewer 40 to turn the brewer on to
start the tea brewing cycle and then to turn off the tea brewer at
the end of the tea brewing cycle.
[0026] The automatic tea brewer 40 is preferably the type of
automatic tea brewer that can be programmed to brew a desired
quantity of tea within a selected time period. There are many
available automatic tea brewers that have this capability. A
preferred brewing type of tea brewer will brew about 5 gallons of
tea in 15 minutes when activated by the infuser brew basket 36.
[0027] The brewed tea is collected in a tea receptor 42. The tea
receptor is configured similarly to a 5 gallon beverage can of the
type used in food service applications. The tea receptor includes
an inlet valve 44 in fluid communication and aligned with the
infuser brew basket 36 and the tea brewing apparatus 40. The inlet
valve 44 is programmed to open when the tea brewing apparatus is
activated to begin the tea brewing cycle by the positioning of the
brew basket 36. At the end of the tea brewing cycle, the tea
receiver inlet valve 44 is activated, causing it to close. An
actuating signal is concurrently sent to an inlet port (not shown)
located on the tea receiver, causing it to open to received
compressed air from a pump 46 fluidically connected to the inlet
port, thereby propelling tea through an outlet port (not shown)
located in the tea receiver 42.
[0028] The tea is moved through the outlet port by the compressed
air to a three way valve (not shown) that is selectively activated
to direct pressurized tea through an appropriate fluid line 48 to a
selected one of three pressurized tea reservoirs 50 located in a
section 52 of the cabinet 10 is refrigerated. One of a battery of
circulating pumps and motors 54 is fluidically connected to a
designated tea reservoir 50 to direct the brewed tea from that
reservoir through a chiller coil (not shown) in a continuous
circuit that includes a fluid connection with a conventional tea
dispenser (not shown) of the type used by the food service industry
to dispense chilled beverages and with a drain valve (not shown).
Two other of the battery of circulating pumps and motors 54 are
fluidically connected with each of the other two tea reservoirs 50
and circulate pressurized brewed tea from these tea reservoirs in a
similar manner. If desired, the system can be set up to brew and
dispense only one kind of tea or to brew and dispense three
different kinds of tea, one kind of tea at a time. This would
enable the restaurant to have available, for example, black tea,
green tea, and herbal tea for its customers.
[0029] When the automatic tea brewer 40 has completed the brewing
cycle, the infuser brew basket 36 is moved to a fifth position
above a drain basin 56, where the basket containing wet tea leaves
is activated to cause it to invert over the drain basin, thereby
dumping the used tea leaves into the drain basin 56. A conventional
spray device mounted with the drain basin is further activated to
rinse the basket 36, which is preferably then air dried until
activated to begin a new brew cycle. The track 38 on which the
infuser brew basket 36 is mounted may be configured in any one of a
number of ways known to those skilled in this art. One type of
track suitable for this purpose resembles a bicycle chain mounted
on sprockets.
[0030] A liquid sweetener, preferably one based on cane sugar as
described in Applicant's U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,919,041 and 5,116,632, is
premixed and placed in sweetener reservoirs 58 in the refrigerator
section 52 of the cabinet 10. The sweetener reservoirs 58 are
fluidically connected to a dedicated sweetener pump in the battery
of pumps and motors 54, which continuously circulates sweetener in
a continuous circuit that includes a chiller coil so that the
sweetener is maintained in a chilled condition. The chiller fluid
circuit is fluidically connected with the dispenser (not shown)
that dispenses the chilled brewed tea. When sweetened tea is to be
dispensed, both a selected tea circuit and the sweetener circuit
are activated simultaneously to dispense both cold tea and cold
sweetener concurrently. If unsweetened tea is desired, only a
selected tea circuit is activated to dispense cold unsweetened
tea.
[0031] Although the entire fluid circuit is not shown in detail in
the drawings, the components of the tea brewing and dispensing
system of the present invention are in fluid communication as
described and include fluid lines and connections as needed to
circulate and dispense the treated water, brewed tea, and sweetener
required to produce a superior brewed tea product. The fluid lines
contemplated for use in the present invention are of the type
conventionally used in food service applications, such as, for
example, hoses made of flexible synthetic materials.
[0032] Other components mounted in the cabinet 10 that are part of
the automatic tea brewing and dispensing system of the present
invention include a water storage tank 60 for storing water that
has been purified to produce brewed tea with a high quality taste.
A space 62 to house a condenser (not shown) for the refrigerated
section 52 is also located in the cabinet 10. In addition, an air
treatment system 72 is preferably included in the cabinet 10 to
filter, dry and compress ambient air for use in the tea, sweetener,
and sanitizing circuits. A climate control component 41 (FIG. 2)
should also be installed in the cabinet 10 to protect the
electronic components from overheating. The foregoing components
are available commercially.
[0033] FIG. 3 illustrates additional components of the tea brewing
and dispensing system of the present invention. The consistently
superior tasting tea produced by this system results in large part
from the treatment and purification of the water used to make the
tea and sweetener. Water enters the cabinet through fluid lines
(not shown) connected to a supply of water. Typically the water
will come from a municipal water supply. Water entering the cabinet
first flows through an automatic sediment filter 64 to remove any
solids and then through an ultraviolet disinfectant system 66 to
eliminate some of the contaminants that could be present in the
water. A reverse osmosis type of water purification system 68,
preferably one capable of purifying 800 gallons per day, treats the
water further before it is directed to the automatic tea
brewer.
[0034] Additional water used by the tea brewing and dispensing
system of the present invention is treated by an ozonator 70 that
makes ozonated water from ambient air and water. Ozonated water is
a very powerful disinfectant that is significantly more effective
than chlorine and has been approved for food contact by the Food
and Drug Administration (FDA). Ozonated water has been demonstrated
to effectively eliminate bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella,
as well as other bacteria and viruses. Because To produce
commercially effective amounts of ozonated water, ozone must be
produced on site. The present invention is designed to generate
sufficient ozone to accomplish this result. The ozonated water
produced in conjunction with the tea brewing and dispensing system
of the present invention can be used to sanitize the system as
described below and will also be available in sufficient quantity
for such other uses as sanitizing hands and rinsing food.
[0035] The operation of the tea brewing and dispensing system of
the present invention is designed to be substantially completely
automatic. FIG. 4 illustrates one possible automated embodiment of
the present invention. Once an installer or operator has set the
parameters of the system, it can be fully automated. When a brewing
and dispensing system has been installed, a restaurant then selects
the time of day it wishes to begin serving brewed iced tea and the
time of day it wants the system set to stand by. Sanitization of
the system requires a two hour time period. For example, if the
system is set for sanitizing at 2:00 AM, and start up is set for
4:00 AM, the LCD display panel 32 on the cabinet will display Stand
By, Start Up, Ready, and Sanitizing. The LCD will also display the
amount of product in the tea leaf reservoirs 26, 28, and 30 and
sweetener reservoirs 58. When the system starts to operate, the LCD
will change from Stand By to Start Up, indicating that the system
is turned on. A signal from a system processor activates the
infuser brew basket 36 to revert to an upright position and moves
basket 36 along track 38 to a first position in communication with
tea leaf reservoir 26. Tea leaf reservoir 26 is activated to
release a predetermined quantity of tea leaves sufficient to make 5
gallons of brewed tea, and the basket 36 is activated to move to a
second position in communication with the automatic tea brewer 40.
This initiates the brew cycle and signals the tea receiver inlet
valve 44 to open so that the tea receiver can collect the brewed
tea. At the end of the 15 minute brewing cycle, the inlet valve 44
closes, and system signals activate the components required to move
the brewed tea from the tea receiver to a tea reservoir 50 in the
refrigerator part of the cabinet.
[0036] When the system is in Ready mode, sensors are activated to
detect tea reservoir levels. If the levels are lower than a
selected minimum volume, the basket 36 is signaled to begin a new
brew cycle.
[0037] At a preset time, the LCD will change from Ready to
Sanitize, and all tea reservoirs and fluid circuits will be
automatically emptied. Ozonated water will be directed to the tea
receiver 42; from there the ozonated water will be pressurized and
circulated through all of the tea circuits. The drain valve (not
shown) is activated to open and close as needed.
[0038] The operation of the tea brewing and dispensing system of
the present invention has been described with respect to
activators, actuators, signals, and processors. Most of these
electronic components are known in the art. The present tea brewing
system is intended to be capable of automatic operation, and
employs suitable arrangements of these electronic components to
achieve the automatic brewing of both sweetened and unsweetened tea
and the sanitizing of the components of the system. It is
contemplated that wireless technology will be employed in
conjunction with electronic processors and microprocessors to
enable control of the present system from a remote location as well
as at the site where the system is installed.
[0039] Although the tea brewing and dispensing system of the
present invention has been described with respect to preferred
embodiments, structures and components that are functionally
equivalent to those described herein are intended to fall within
the scope of the present invention.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY
[0040] The tea brewing and dispensing system of the present
invention will be used primarily in the food service industry, such
as in fast food outlets and other restaurants. The present tea
brewing and dispensing system will also find use in other venues
where the commercial scale production of a consistently high
quality brewed sweetened or unsweetened tea is desired, including
educational institutions, hospitals, and other similar users of
commercial food service equipment.
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